Denys Baptiste Quartet: The Late Trane

Salon Perdu

British saxophonist and composer Denys is one of the most celebrated of UK jazz musicians. The Late Trane is a strong new statement, reimagining the late period of John Coltrane – music that balances the master saxophonist’s pioneering artistic vision with the visceral emotions and cosmic references that encompass his later work: surely some of the most spiritually charged music of the C20th. A reverent acknowledgement of this remarkable man and his music, by an artist with his own voice and his own sense of destiny.July 2017 marks 50 years since John Coltrane departed from this world. To celebrate this great man and his work, award-winning Denys Baptiste returns with a new project and album, ‘The Late Trane’.

This exciting new group revisits many of John Coltrane’s compositions from 1963-67, rearranges and presents them in exciting new forms to audiences, whilst retaining the visceral emotions and cosmic references.

The later works of John Coltrane, preserved in both studio and enigmatic live recordings were some of the most emotional and spiritually charged music of the 20th Century. The music mirrors a time of tumultuous change in America and the rest of the world. The civil rights and anti-racism movement, the Vietnam War, peace and space exploration inspired many artists of the time and John Coltrane was no exception.

During the mid to late 60’s, John Coltrane’s music was inspired as much by the spiritual as the cosmic and a series of ground-breaking studio albums marked the last phase of John Coltrane’s musical odyssey. A Love Supreme, Crescent, Interstellar Space, Meditations, Om and Sun Ship all exemplified this period of creative growth, where the boundaries of jazz were shifted forever.

Much of this music is documented on records and CDs and sadly few artists perform the late period of John Coltrane’s music – as a result some great melodies are unfamiliar to audiences. Dusk Dawn, Crescent, Living Space, Vigil and After the Rain are some of the compositions performed during The Late Trane.

“John Coltrane continues to be one of my most important influences and his late period has always intrigued me and inspired my work over many years. I feel that to truly understand this music you really need to play it and my new amazing group are up for the challenge of introducing this music to a whole new audience. Join us on ‘The Late Trane’ for a truly inspirational musical journey.”